


Milestone

by thimble



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 21:25:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thimble/pseuds/thimble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not every experience can be a medley relay, a medal ceremony, or an Olympic event. There are moments in life that can barely be included in a photo album, never mind a biography.</p><p>And still they matter all the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Milestone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [requited](https://archiveofourown.org/users/requited/gifts).



> Prompt: _"I'll show you a sight you've never seen before." I'd like something that explored the idea of seeing/showing/being shown a new sight. I'd like for Rin to be shown something by Haru, but anything where each of them shows something to the other, even at different times, would be lovely._
> 
> I'm not quite sure if this is what you were looking for since the prompt left a lot open for interpretation, but I hope you enjoy it!

_For his twenty-sixth birthday Rin takes him to Australia, now that he can afford both the money and the free time. It's nostalgic, he supposes, to come to the place that shaped Rin on the tenth anniversary of his return into their lives. The last place they visit is that for a reason: the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which Haru had only previously seen in photographs. There’s one in particular that he remembers now, of a thirteen year old Rin against the backdrop of a fiery sky and a foreign bridge, taken by one of his teachers because he wouldn’t be in any of the class party pictures otherwise._

 

 

 

Haru eats mackerel and toast for breakfast.

It’s not out of character for him—it might even be more surprising if he didn’t have mackerel first thing in the morning—but it’s disconcerting all the same. Mostly, it’s the feeling that Rin should have known that even before he woke up to the smell of fish wafting up to the bedroom, though it wasn’t as if he’s ever had a real chance to find out. He has never let himself forget that they’ve only known each other for not even three months in elementary school, and he’s aware the first few months he spent back from Australia don’t count.

That doesn’t stop him from getting thrown off at the added view of Haru in his apron.

His sudden laughter alerts Haru to his presence, which leads to a quizzical look in his direction.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just your…” Rin motions to the apron, and the swimsuit under it, but—Haru’s raised brow tells him that it’s something ordinary, something that Makoto or any of the others from the club wouldn’t even blink at. “Never mind. Good morning.”

“Good morning. Sit down; the mackerel will be ready soon.”

Haru looks awfully domestic like that, and Rin kind of wants to walk over and slide his chin in the space between neck and shoulder (it’s a warm fit, as they found out last night) but he does as told, folding his legs under himself as he sits at the table. He drums his fingers on his knees and waits until it’s almost awkward; luckily that’s when Haru turns around to serve his bread and grilled fish. Rin takes in the spread and has to shake his head, because it’s nothing short of surreal.

“Can’t you at least cook meat?” he says, still a little in disbelief at the normalcy of it all.

“Fish is meat.”

“You know what I mean.”

“All you do is complain,” Haru says curtly around a mouthful of toast. “And now your mackerel’s getting cold.”

Rin snorts, but he takes a bite anyway, finding that the combination isn’t half bad. Or maybe he’s been hanging around Haru too long, though as the fluttering in his chest suggests at the mere sight of Haru licking his lips—it still hasn’t been long enough.

 

 

 

_“I used to hate sunsets, you know.” Haru has concrete idea of why, but he doesn’t interrupt. The wind is dancing with Rin’s hair as it often does so he watches that instead. “I’d always thought of that day and how pretty the sky looked, but there was no one who’d look at it with me.”_

_He laughs, and there’s a chime-like quality in his voice. “I didn’t really look like the kind of kid who got lonely, huh?”_

 

 

 

He’s nuzzling into what might be his favorite place on earth—Haru’s shoulder, that is—when something rough grazes his cheek. He gets dizzy trying to see what it is from up close, so he has to pull away for a better look.

"You have stubble?" Rin hears himself say incredulously, more of an exclamation than a question.

"Obviously," Haru mutters, since he’s still pretending to be listening to Nagisa teasing Rei for the nth time.

"I’m getting carpet burn."

"Then I’ll shave it off. Later." Haru elbows him to shut him up so he does, until later finally comes and they’re in front of the mirror in Haru’s bathroom. Haru’s reflection broods at him. "Why are you in here exactly?"

Rin flashes his trademark grin. “I just wanna watch. Got a problem with that?”

Haru rolls his eyes and grumbles under his breath, though he doesn’t tell Rin to leave. He lathers up the foam and spreads it across the lower half of his face before picking up the razor. Rin leans his weight against the bathroom wall.

“I didn’t know you could shave.”

“It’s Nagisa’s fault.” Of course it is. “He attacked us with a razor one time.” Haru goes on as he swipes the blade carefully along his jawline. Rin tries not to watch its trajectory too intensely.

“Seriously?”

“Something about swimming faster. Isn’t that why you do the same?”

“Hey, wait. How’d you know about that?”

“Your sister said so.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Haru is swifter and cleaner at this than Rin expected; he’s in no danger of cutting himself at all. “My coach in Australia advised us to.” Rin stops at that, because while talk of his time abroad didn’t hurt as much as it used to, he’d still rather not mention it in such a well-lit room that won’t hide the downward pull of his mouth, the smarting in his eyes. Haru gives him an imperceptible nod and doesn’t push it. Rin’s skin turns hot and he gets the sudden urge to do something with his hands.

“Let me help with that,” he says, and Haru doesn’t refuse. They pass the razor between their fingers and Haru tilts his head back, baring his throat to the sharp edge in Rin’s hand and it feels exactly as it intimate as it seems. Rin swallows at the movement of Haru’s Adam’s apple, fingertips splayed over his skin. “Here I go.”

The rest fly by quicker when that part’s done. Rin rinses off the razor under the sink as Haru pats his face dry, smooth and waiting to be kissed.

 

 

 

 _Haru wants to tell him,_ no, you didn’t, but that’s only because I wasn’t looking hard enough _, but he settles for squeezing Rin’s hand. “It doesn’t matter.”_ You’ll never find yourself alone, if I can help it.

 

 

 

It’s not the first time they’ve touched each other, nor is it the first time they’ve rolled around in bed with their mouths connected, but climaxing together is certainly new. Granted, Rin’s never done it with someone else before, but he’s pretty sure there’s something not quite right with Haru’s face after the act.

He’s frowning.

The expression leaves after a minute or so, and Haru doesn’t seem to think much of it, so Rin tries to do the same until it happens again on the second time, and the third. He’s beginning to have suspicions that he isn’t making Haru as happy as he’d like, and he wants to fix that. Figuring out the problem should be the first step.

Though it’s another thing to actually bring it up with the people who might know.

“I-I don’t really feel comfortable, uh… discussing yours and Haru’s, um… That’s between the two of you!” If Makoto’s goal is to make Rin feel better by acting more embarrassed than he is, then he’s succeeding. It’s sweet, sort of, but entirely unhelpful.

“You have a girlfriend, right? When you finish doing it, does she—?” He’s cut off by both of Makoto’s hands clamping shut over his mouth, and judging by his face he’d gone from mortification to full-blown agony.

“I haven’t gone that far with Hana-chan!”

“Hah! And you want to!”

“Rin, please!” Makoto is blushing deeper by the second, and admittedly if he were less troubled by his own issues Rin would have prolonged the torment just to see how red he can get. As it was, he lets up with a smirk and treats Makoto to gelato as an apology.

Rei, on the other hand, is proving to be a bit too helpful.

“Have you exhausted all of Haruka-senpai’s erogenous zones? I can borrow several books on the matter from the library—“

“Okay, I’m a theory freak as much as the next guy, but that is messed up.”

“You shouldn’t ask if you’re going to be rude, Rin-san.”

He’s pouting, but Rin’s positive that he’s going to give him hell at their next joint practice as payback.

Meanwhile, Nagisa’s advice turned out to be the best (“You just have to practice if you wanna get good at something, Rin-chan”) but he’s also the one who betrays Rin, as he finds out after a successful make out session.

“How was my face?” Haru says, blasé as ever as Rin flushes to his toes. He hopes Haru won’t ask again because he’ll have to describe in full detail how Haru’s lashes landing on his cheek when he comes makes Rin want to die, in a good way, like he’s seen the best the world has had to offer and is ecstatic with what he’s been given.

 

 

 

_When Rin turns to him Haru’s struck with déjà vu for a moment he hadn’t been present for and wishes he had a camera. The view is comprised of the same elements: a sunset, a bridge, and a boy with red hair, but this time he’s smiling._

_Haru doesn’t have any film; the photograph in his mind develops into something better anyway._

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you're inclined.


End file.
